Incidents

Eight months later, wrong-way driver arrested for I-4 crash that killed former pastor

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police have arrested the driver that allegedly caused a wrong-way crash on I-4, killing a well-known former pastor, almost eight months after the crash happened.

Orlando police said Nelson-Enrique Molina somehow drove the wrong way down I-4 eastbound near South Street in the early morning hours of Memorial Day 2018.

Orlando Rivera, a father of 10 and former pastor at Northland Church in Longwood, was killed. Molina suffered life-threatening injuries.

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This week, Orlando police arrested Molina almost eight months after the crash.

Molina is charged with vehicular homicide and reckless driving. On Wednesday he faced a judge, who set bond at more than $7,000.

Nelson-Enrique Molina was arrested for causing a deadly wrong-way crash on I-4, killing a former pastor.

Orlando police said they didn’t test Molina for DUI the morning of the crash because investigators could not establish probable cause, even though Molina was driving the wrong way.

“Even in an accident, the police have to have probable cause to believe that the person has been drinking or under the influence of drugs,” Channel 9 legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said.

Previous coverage: Former pastor, a father of 10, killed by wrong-way driver on I-4

Channel 9 asked Orlando police why it took more than seven months to arrest Molina. Police said the investigation took that whole time.

“In this type of accident case when there were no signs of impairment, you have to look to traditional investigative methods to try to find… that a criminal prosecution should be sought,” Sheaffer said.

Meanwhile, Channel 9 reached out to Rivera’s family for their reaction to Molina’s arrest, but did not respond by the time this story was published.

In May, a fellow pastor that attended seminary with Rivera told Channel 9 that Rivera had just left his home at about 3 a.m. to attend meetings in New York.

"Literally two or three minutes from his home is the Kaley exit on I-4," Kevin Urichko said. "He had just entered."

Orlando Rivera was killed in a wrong-way crash in I-4 in May 2018.

During his career, Rivera began other ministries in Central Florida and became a college professor in New York. He had also gone on mission trips around the world.

A GoFundMe page for Rivera's family has raised more than $98,000.